We round up the past week’s news and updates from the world of Nuclear.
UK sets out approach to AMR demonstrator, by World Nuclear News: “The UK government today published a Call for Evidence that sets out its suggested approach to building the first advanced modular reactor (AMR) demonstrator. This will specifically explore high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs) as the most promising model for the demonstration programme, which ministers are investing GBP170 million (USD237 million) into delivering by the early 2030s.”
Nuclear exit to bring Germany “enormous difficulties” by increasing fossil power use – EDF head, by Clean Energy Wire: “Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power means that it must replace the energy source with climate-harmful coal and gas, the executive director of state-owned French energy company EDF has said in an interview published in Die Welt. Germany’s nuclear exit would be “the most drastic” example of government-driven anti-nuclear policies that will cause the country “enormous difficulties” by increasing the need for carbon-based coal and gas, Cedric Lewandowski said.”
Is Thorium a Better Way to Do Nuclear Energy?, by Interesting Engineering: “While some might argue those are small fees to pay for clean energy (when compared to fossil fuels’ toll on the environment and humans), others argue there is a better way to do nuclear energy and that is through the use of thorium. For starters, thorium is three times more abundant in nature than currently used uranium.”
UK seeks input on plans to use high temperature nuclear reactors to produce heat for industry, by The Chemical Engineer: “HIGH temperature gas nuclear reactors (HTGRs) could provide low-carbon process heat to help decarbonise heavy industry, under new plans outlined by the UK Government. The Government is consulting on its plans to invest £170m (US$236m) to demonstrate HTGR technology by the early 2030s. The objective of the programme is to show that advanced modular reactors (AMRs) could produce high temperature heat.”
IAEA Concludes Long Term Operational Safety Review of Spain’s Ascó Nuclear Power Plant, by IAEA: “An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts today completed a review of long term operational safety at the Ascó nuclear power plant in Spain. The SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation) review mission was requested by the plant’s operator ANAV (Asociación Nuclear Ascó-Vandellós II).
